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The silly season is upon us. This is when the great and the good leave from the “Metrolups” and head off on their hols and post in stories to their paper/media show from wherever they happen to be sunbathing with a bottle of Champers.

What else could account for the fact that there are at least four references to Cornwall in that top draw academic Sunday sheet, the Observer, (don’t knock it my daughter used to be a hack there!). Page 14. “March of Incinerators threatens recycling” with comments from Eunomia and Charmian Larke, local advisor to Cornwall Waste Forum. Page 16 big picture of Caroline Flint (Shadow Energy secretary) and Ed Milliband with Ms Flint wearing what appears to be a Cornish Tartan top. Page 19 article about how second homers have pushed house prices in Padstow out of local people’s reach. And finally (not silly at all) a piece about a commemorative album in memory of the singer from Fisherman’s Friends, Trevor Grills, who was killed in a recent accident.

There are probably lots more but I have only just started the bottle of Champers (Vin Blanc very ordinaire actually).

Mind you, the silly season extends to County Hall as well. I notice that Paul Masters (temporary CEO) has taken to using quotes. He should be a bit more careful about the source, because one of his favourites is “To govern is to decide”. Meaning the Council is in charge and the Public can go whistle. Unfortunately this quote comes from the master of riding roughshod over the will of the people, Napoleon Bonaparte, and we all know what happened to him!

I feel the need coming on to wear my hat sideways and stick my hand in my coat next time I see him – but that is just being silly.

I have just finished a rather serious non-fiction book called Blood on the Altar by Tobias Jones. This studies the case of an Italian serial killer who abducted and murdered a 16 year old girl as his first victim. The murderer’s father was a high ranking local official who was a Mason, the murderer was a devout member of the Catholic Church where the murder took place. The matter was investigated by the Police, the Carabiniere, and Magistrates but the family were denied justice and did not even know her fate or have a body for seventeen years. Jones puts this firmly down to Italian corruption. Each of the key players had something unsavoury known about them to somebody else.
Therefore when it came to covering up what had happened, somebody would get a phone call, “do this – or else”. Rather than doing it, the person receiving the call would phone somebody else, “do this – or else”. Thus the person who finally did the deed might be ten or twelve people distant from the person who requested it.

The initial feeling I got was, couldn’t happen here! We don’t have a Mafia. Then I got to thinking about the way that even when right is on your side, it is impossible to get justice. Relate this to the East Truro Park and Ride/Waitrose, The St. Dennis Incinerator, local wind turbines and solar farms, the East Coast Main Rail Line, Fracking etc. and you will see what I mean. We do have a Mafia in the UK, they are called Multi-Nationals. They are too big to fight against and no politician has got the balls to stand up to them. Our children and grandchildren are really going to love us for what we have allowed to happen.